Award Data

High-temperature polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are desired for the aggressive environments encountered in many aerospace and military applications. These have required new blends of materials properties in the composite fiber and matrix. As polyimide resins have been improved, the thermo-oxidative stability (TOS) of the carbon fibers typically used as reinforcements have become a limiting fac ...

The expanding use of composites in shipboard applications is driving the development of fire-resistant composite structures. However, despite significant efforts in improving the resins and cores of composite sandwich structures, passive fire protection (e.g., insulation) is still required. Currently, the Navy uses glass fiber or mineral wool insulation panels that are mechanically fastened to t ...

The Navy has qualified a visible light-initiated resin system for spot repair and corrosion control on ballast tanks. This system, developed by Spectra Group Limited, cures in a very short period of time under visible light illumination to yield the patch and corrosion control coating. The major difficulty with this system is the unwieldy size and weight of the lamp housing and power supply. Ad ...

This Navy SBIR Phase II effort will develop the processing steps required to fabricate high quality periodically poled stoichiometric lithium tantalate (PPSLT) and demonstrate its utility for use in both current and emerging Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems (ALMDS) by enabling highly efficient laser wavelenth conversion. The proposed optical material will also support the development of shor ...

The VIRGINIA Class submarine employs the Light-Weight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA) hull-mounted array of fiber-optic hydrophones that requires the use of high performance, narrowband lasers. In this Navy Phase II SBIR effort, a prototype laser for the LWWAA hull-array sensor will be developed using the frequency-stabilized semiconductor laser technology demonstrated during the Phase I effort. The ...

This SBIR Phase I effort will demonstrate the feasibility of a UAV compatible lidar scanner/receiver for use with a high repetition rate, short pulse, multicolor laser transmitter. The system features an electro-optic beam scanner and a fiber optic receiver. The key innovation in this effort is a beam steering device without moving parts which offers high bandwidth, wide scan range, low loss, and ...

Acoustic sensor systems are the backbone of both anti-submarine (ASW) and mine-countermeasure (MCM) systems. Inadequate knowledge of the acoustic environment, especially in denied areas, results from a lack of survey equipment, funding, and access to areas of tactical interest. Moreover, the acoustic environment can change substantially depending on conditions such as sound speed, water depth, an ...

Pre-mission rehearsal using 3D, simulated fly throughs derived from remotely sensed data can signicantly enhance warfighter safety and efficiency. Because of its great potential for extracting the location, orientation, identification, and elevation profile of surface features, LIDAR (light ranging and detection) data provide an excellent information base for creating these simulated visualizatio ...

The Navy routinely uses a structural strengthening technique called cold hole expansion for increasing the fatigue life of primary aircraft structures that are fastened together. This process creates beneficial compressive stresses around the hole. However, variances in the process produce inconsistent results and no means exist to nondestructively quantify the process effectiveness. Resodyn C ...

Advanced power systems for Future Naval Capability depend on capacitor banks as the first stage of pulsed power. Significant electrical energy is necessary to support a range of applications including electromagnetic armor, electromagnetic gun and electro-mechanical aircraft launch systems. It is anticipated that each electric ship will require up to one trillion joules of capacitor energy. Adv ...